911 SYSTEM IS DISCUSSED BY SCOTT CITY COUNCIL

SCOTT CITY -- A planned 911 emergency telephone system continues to draw the attention of the Scott City Council.

The council Monday night discussed the continuing efforts to implement such a system.

Scott City Mayor Larry Forhan, Police Chief Rob Elledge, Fire Chief Les Crump and representatives of Southwestern Bell visited police headquarters in De Soto last month to view an operational 911 system.

"The system is a lot smaller than I thought," Forhan told the council. "It's about the size of a VCR unit with a little screen on the top."

Forhan reported that the De Soto officials ran through a couple of sample calls to demonstrate the quickness and effectiveness of a 911 system.

Scott City has entered into an agreement with Commerce and Kelso to lease a 911 system from Southwestern Bell. Cities are not allowed to purchase 911 systems outright from phone companies.

The phone company sends its own representatives to program the systems with addresses and emergency numbers.

All three cities are currently issuing new house addresses to residents, to comply with 911 codes.

The council hopes to have its system operational by Nov. 1.

In other business, the council's finance committee recommended that the city accept the financing terms for the newly purchased fire truck from Security Bank in Scott City.

"They offered the lowest rate, and they're local," Forhan said. "We like to do anything to support our local businesses."

The final contract agreement between the city and the fire-truck manufacturer should be signed next week.

Council members also discussed a request from Rebecca Edmundson, a Scott City Girl Scout who has asked that Girl Scouts be allowed to plant flowers in one of the city cemeteries.

The council members agreed that it would be a good idea, but said they wanted more information - such as who would be responsible for the upkeep of the flowers and where exactly the girls wanted to plant them - before making any decisions.

A resident contacted the mayor asking about the effect the city's agreement with Sonny's Solid Waste Service Inc. to allow the deposit of Sikeston sludge in the city lagoon would have on the operational life of the lagoon.

Councilman Ron Oller was quick to speak up, saying that the lagoon had a projected life expectancy of 20 years.

"But when the lagoon was built, they anticipated that the city's growth would be twice what it is today," Oller said. "The amount that Sonny's wants to dump is not going to be any more than the normal runoff from city car washes into the city sewer."

The council also requested that City Attorney Francis Siebert draw up an ordinance requiring people to carry proof of insurance in their cars.

People who do not have car insurance will be fined in municipal court. Those who do not have their insurance cards in their vehicles when stopped by police would be given 48 hours to submit proof of insurance to the police department.

Siebert was also instructed to draw up an ordinance that would assess an additional $1 court cost for every municipal case. The money would be donated to the Cape Girardeau Women's Safehouse.